Melissa Nelson '10

So I started a new clinical rotation(pediatrics) last week. Before I started this clinical I was pretty neutral about pediatric nursing. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids but sick children is a different story. I am an individual who can deal with most situations but it is something about sick children that breaks my heart. All these emotions were definitely apparent when I started clinicals. I was so nervous! Throughout the day my fears calmed down as I began to work with the nurses and interact with the children.  By the end of the day, I left clinical wanting to stay even longer.

Pediatric Nursing is an art that most people don’t understand. Observing and interacting with the nursing staff really showed me how family centered pediatric nursing is. Pediatric nursing doesn’t mean you are only  taking care of the patient but the patient’s family as well. To see how welcomed the families felt on the floor and how nurses and fellow staff knew the children and family by name, was amazing to me 🙂 The kindness and compassion exhibited by the pediatric nurses was truly admirable.

Communicating with children is difficult alone and when a child is not feeling well it is even harder. Im learning pediatric nursing involves a lot of communication. Communication not only with the child but with the parents/caregivers as well. Educating the patient about a medication or treatment and framing it in a way that is appropriate for their developmental age, is harder than one would think.  The next couple of weeks will be exciting. I  know I will be able to gain a deeper appreciation and better understanding of not only the art of nursing, but understanding the strength many of these sick children have while dealing with grown up health issues.  This glimpse into pediatric nursing will be quite interesting 🙂